Companion
by purebloodelf
Summary: When your childhood friend is given a task that one should never have to do alone, what can you do but go with them? This is a story of Frodo, Sam, and Frodo's closest companion, Ella. They make their way to Mt. Doom with the fellowship, fighting to stay alive and not become corrupt by the Ring's power. Ella faces many difficulties ahead including Gollum, orcs, and Frodo himself.
1. An Introduction

Before the Bagginses entered my life, I was quite the well-respected hobbit. You never caught me doing anything unexpected. Well actually, to be more specific, you never _caught _me. I was always adventurous and never was used to the simple life in the Shire. But up until I met Bilbo and most of all, Frodo, I at least _tried _to keep up the appearance of being a good little hobbit-girl.

While I was supposed to be running errands for my mother, you'd most likely find me raiding Farmer Maggot's crop with Merry and Pippin, my two best friends. The more accurate term would be brothers, because even though we weren't technically related, they acted as if they were. All I had was a sister, and she was always on my case because she, unlike Mother, always knew what I was up to and did NOT approve. So, Merry and Pip were more like family to me than my actual one was. If we weren't causing mayhem amongst the mushrooms, we were hanging around in the apple orchard by the road, using fallen branches for swords as we pretended to battle goblins and orcs.

Oh Merry and Pippin, those two made life in the Shire exciting, almost bearable. They were also the ones who introduced me to Bilbo. At the time, Merry, Pippin, and I were only kids, 12 years old at most (and for a hobbit, 12 years is very young indeed, we don't come of age until our 33rd birthday, just to give you a general idea on our aging). Every day we would run over to Bilbo's and he'd tell us the most exciting stories of ogres, trolls, and (my personal favorite) dragons.

Each time we'd go, I'd always say "Hello Bilbo! Tell us of your adventures!"

And each time he'd reply something along the lines of, "Dear me, Ella Chubb! I swear you get more unhobbit-like by the day! What will your mother say?"

"Oh, she doesn't even know I'm here. To the best of her knowledge, I'm at the market. But life's too short to be boring!"

As the years went by, I grew sicker and sicker of the uneventful life in the Shire. My mother and father noticed, I suppose, because every night I would hear them whispering to each other about how I was ruining the family name and turning out just like that 'no good Baggins'. But I didn't care. Things didn't improve for them when Bilbo took Frodo in. For me, though, it was the best thing to happen to me.

I first saw him when the usual suspects and I were in the orchard. Pip was attempting to shimmy up a tree so he could pick a bunch of apples so we could all have a proper elevensies. "There's no need for that, Pip," said Merry, "Plenty of apples have already fallen."

"Yes, but where's the fun in that?" Pippin replied, still trying to pull himself up to the lowest branch which was a good 3 feet above his head.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Leave him. He'll give up soon enough. I'm having some of the apples down here. I'll go collect some." I then went through the rows of trees, picking up dozens of apples and putting them in my satchel. I was just about to head back to my friends when an especially large red one caught my eye. It was dangling from a branch, so heavy it made the wood bend, bringing the apple down to a few feet from the ground. I could probably reach it if I REALLY tried.

I stood on my tip-toes and stretched my arm high above my head towards the fruit. Despite my best efforts, the tips of my fingers barely brushed the bottom of it. Even among hobbits I'm on the shorter side. I was preparing to jump when a hand comes from behind and plucks the apple from the branch. I did jump, but for an entirely different reason.

I spun around and saw it was just another hobbit boy. And why wouldn't it be? We're in the **Shire **for goodness sakes, where nothing remotely interesting happens like a dangerous stranger coming. The boy was holding out the apple and his big clear blue eyes were looking at me expectantly. I took in his curly brown hair, the norm for hobbits, my own red hair was a mane of wild curls. I'd never seen him before. "Thanks," I said quickly, taking it from him.

He grinned and said, "Any time. I'm Frodo by the way. I just moved in with my Uncle Bilbo."

"I know him!" I said, excited. Bilbo had mentioned his nephew was moving in a few times before, but to be honest, I'd forgotten. "I love your uncle; he's one of the most interesting hobbits around here. And I'm Ella." I held out my hand. He shook it and continued.

"Nice to meet you and it's good to hear my uncle's not a bore. So what are you doing here? I could use the company…" It must be pretty hard coming to a new place full of strangers.

"I'm here with a couple of friends, actually, but you're welcome to come join us," I said, smiling, "In fact, we were just about to have elevensies, if you'd care to join us. That's why I was over here gathering."

"Please!" he said, his happiness obvious.

"Come on then!"

From that moment on, Frodo Baggins became my dearest friend, my partner in crime. I confided in him even more than I did Merry and Pippin. Each day we'd meet up in the orchard and have elevensies like we did that first day. From there we would play and run around the Shire. Sometimes he would bring Sam Gamgee, another friend of his, and through him, mine. The three of us would get into trouble with Merry and Pippin as well.

While all of us were close (Merry, Pip, and I usually tried to have dinner together nightly. Frodo came too.), Frodo and I understood each other the most. Only with him would I share my deepest secrets and yearning to run away from the Shire to go on an adventure. Just what my adventure would be, I had no clue. But I knew it would be important.

"I'd go with you, Ella," He'd say.

"Oh, you're still in love with this place." I'd reply, because it was true. Yes he'd go with me, if I asked. But I wouldn't ask that of him because, at the time, he wouldn't really want to with all his heart like I did. Who'd have known that one day I'd be following _him _on a quest that would shape the fate of the world?


	2. A Surprising Party

**Special thanks to monkeepeanut for the review and Saphirabrightscale for adding this to her favorite stories! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Tolkien's creations, they're just fun to write about.**

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The entire road up to Bag End is in an uproar. There's no way I'm going to make my way up to the house and get Frodo. He's going to fight his own way out. Today is the day of Bilbo's 111th birthday party, a very curious number, and every hobbit and their second cousin is desperate for an invite. How they think that disturbing Bilbo will win his favor is beyond me, but they're there.

I decide to trek over to the orchard alone and wait for him there. Sitting down, I begin to unpack the food that I brought for us. First I lay down the blanket, and then take out the loaf of bread. Next comes the jar of butter and tub of marmalade. After that is the tea kettle, already full of water, and the box full of tea leaves. I find my piece of steel and flint stone along with the straw that I usually carry in my bag in case I need to start a fire.

Striking rock against steel, I manage to get a decent sized fire going with the straw and a few fallen branches. I place the kettle next to the flames, so close it's practically engulfed by them and wait for it to boil. I sing softly, "The road goes ever, ever on…"

Where _is _Frodo? Right as I think this, an arm wraps itself around my neck, not tightly, but it's effective enough to trap me. "Hey, Frodo. You win this one." I say calmly. We have a little game we like to play where we try to see how close we can get to the other without them noticing. Frodo always was good at walking around unheard, whereas I burst out laughing when I get within 10 feet of my friends whenever I try to sneak up on them.

"That brings the total up to… what now?" He laughs, gloating.

"73 wins for you, 3 for me." I sigh, "I meant to go up to Bag End and get you but the road was"

"Blocked up, I know," he says, finishing my sentence for me, "And even if you had managed to reach the house, I wouldn't have been there. I've been here since five this morning." I give him a look. _Five? He never wakes up early. _"You didn't think I had no clue what was coming, did you? Honestly, the throngs of hobbits for Bilbo's 100th birthday were bad enough. I knew that I'd have to leave early or there'd be no way I was getting away later."

"What have you been doing since then?" I ask.

"Well, I _was_ waiting to see if I could catch you off guard." He flashes me a mischievous smile.

"Took you long enough, I got here ages ago."

"You can be very quiet when you're not trying, you know. You didn't make any sound at all until you started singing." At this I blush a little. I like singing well enough, but I'm only comfortable doing it when I'm alone. "I'd never heard you sing before, you're quite good."

"Thanks," the kettle sings now.

"Oh good, you made tea!" he exclaims, just now noticing the food and fire. "I skipped first breakfast because I was sneaking out, and I forgot food so I didn't have second breakfast, either."

"Well, help yourself to anything. Actually, you can have it all if you want."

His face lights up, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, yeah. I've had both breakfasts, so as long as I have some tea, I'll be fine." I assure him. At this, he attacks the bread, dunking it in the butter, then the marmalade. He proceeds to shove it in his mouth. Hobbits are used to 7 meals a day, so skipping two tends to be a big deal.

He gets halfway done with the loaf before he slows down. "So what do you want to do today?" I ask him.

Frodo sighs and leans back against a tree. "I was thinking, at least for now, that we could just relax. After all, there's the party tonight and we wouldn't want to be tired." I nod. Good, it's been too long since I've had a lazy day. He pulls out a book from underneath his shirt and I amuse myself by drawing on a tree with the burnt end of a stick from the fire. The charred tip is great for sketching with. Out of the blue, Frodo says, "Sing some more, Ella."

"Oh no, I couldn't. Pippin's the singer, not me. Just because I enjoy it, doesn't mean I'm good at it." His request surprises me.

"But you are good at it. Please? You know I won't judge. If it makes you feel any better, pretend I'm not here."

I close my eyes. _Fine, but only because it's Frodo and I trust him. _Breathing in deeply, I begin to sing a song that Bilbo would sing all of the time whenever you got him on the topic of his adventure.

"The road goes ever, ever on and on

Down from the door where it began

Now far ahead the Road has gone

And I must follow, if I can

Pursuing it with weary feet

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet

And whither then? I cannot say"

He smiles and applauds me as I open my eyes. "I'd forgotten he was there for a moment, I was too focused on the song. "More" he says.

This time I am actually eager to and don't even have to close my eyes. I feel fine singing in front of him. Almost immediately, I start another Bilbo song. "All that is gold does not glitter," I start, but am interrupted by the sounds of a horse whinnying and the creaking of a wooden cart. I look at Frodo, my eyebrow raised. Most hobbits in the Shire walk everywhere, so there's only a few people this could be. Is this who I'm thinking it is? A voice singing the first song I sang can be heard now… "Gandalf!" we cry at the same time, beaming.

I start shoving the empty dishes and blanket in my bag, along with the rock and steel as Frodo dumps the kettle and tea cups before dropping them in as well.

Once we're done hurriedly packing, we bolt out of the orchard towards the road as fast as our legs will carry us. A cart loaded with thousands of explosives, Gandalf's (in)famous fireworks, comes into view, pulled by a little tan pony. In the driver's seat is none other than the great wizard himself.

"Gandalf!" Frodo repeats, his face bright and his excitement obvious as he jumps into the cart, hugging the sorcerer. I follow.

The old man laughs and says, "Frodo, my boy, you seem happy to see me." Looking over to me over his shoulder, "Ahh, and you brought Ella."

"Hello, Gandalf." I grin. I always love when he comes to visit, he's traveled everywhere and has the most exciting news of the outside world.

"Hello, Ella," he smiles back, and I join the hug.

We all break apart as Frodo says, "What news of the outside world? Tell me everything!" I've really rubbed off on him these past few years.

"Everything?" Gandalf chuckles. "You two are far too curious for hobbits, most unnatural…" We're almost to Bag End now, everyone parting to let us through so they don't get run over. He tells us that life goes on in the world and that practically no one knows about hobbits. A few children follow us, they know all about this man's talent with pyrotechnics. At first they are disappointed, but Gandalf smirks and nods his head. A second later, all kinds of sparklers go off and the kids jump up and down, happy and excited.

We finally get to the house and Gandalf steps out, "I must attend to party business with your uncle." He says to Frodo, "You two run along. I'll see you tonight."

We go over and visit with Sam, only an hour before the party starts now. We're talking about tonight when Frodo says, "Bilbo's up to something." Sam and I look at each other, then at Frodo. I think I get what he means, Bilbo's seemed… off lately, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's planning anything, right?

"What do you think he's up to?" Sam asks. Frodo looks at me, and I know he means it has something to do with Bilbo's ring.

I've known about Bilbo's ring as long as Frodo has, however I have no clue what makes it so special. "I have no idea," he says.

"Oh well, I guess we'll figure out what it is tonight." I say. I look outside, the sun's sinking quickly, and it won't be long until we leave for Bag End.

Sam looks out as well and says, "We should probably head out to the house now, guys. I'd rather not get stuck in the mob that's sure to arrive when it's time." Frodo nods and stands, and I hop up as well. We start walking and just as we enter the gate, a throng of hobbits come marching up the road. "We just missed it," Sam said, relieved.

The party begins within a half hour, and after everyone charges to the food table, the dancing begins. Sam, Frodo, and I all sit together at a table, drinking ale. Sam keeps eyeing this one girl, Rosie, and whenever she spots him, his face turns tomato red. Frodo voices exactly what I'm thinking when he says, "Why don't you ask Rosie for a dance, eh?" I nod as he shakes his head, and Frodo gets up to drag him out of his chair and into the group of dancers. Once Sam's out there, Rosie finds him and they start dancing. Frodo smirks and sits down again, triumphant. Taking a swig of Sam's ale, he asks, "Do you want to dance?"

"Sure," I say, and we take off. For the next three songs, we swing and laugh, twirling around until we can't see straight. "I need a break!" I say, my head still spinning. I walk over to where Gandalf is unloading his fireworks and see Merry and Pippin emerge from behind a tent once the wizard leaves. This can't be good.

Merry hoists himself into the cart and grabs a firework, showing it to Pippin so he can approve. "No, no! Get the _big _one!" he whispers urgently, "Quickly, Quickly!" Merry picks a mammoth, red firecracker and they run inside the tent. A few seconds later, there's a big **BOOM! **And a giant red dragon flies up, taking the tent with it. I know it's just the firework, but everyone else doesn't, and they start to panic. Drinks fly as hobbits throw or drop them in their haste to run away from the flaming beast. It swoops over our heads, then turns into a bunch of magnificent regular fireworks, to the delight and relief of everyone.

After the uproar dies down, Bilbo makes his big speech while Merry and Pippin wash the dishes under the watchful eye of Gandalf. Bilbo greets every guest by last name, and then mentions how he wishes he knew everyone more, but that it was time for him to go. He looks right at Frodo and me before he vanishes before our eyes.

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** I hope you enjoyed, and please review!**


	3. Confusion

**Hi all! Yes, I know this is EXTREMELY short and it took me FOREVER to update, but things have been pretty crazy around here. I was at my grandparents' house for a week without my laptop, and then I've been busy with soccer everyday. However, to make it up to you (both the long wait and the short chapter) I will be posting the next chapter within the next few days. I would also like to thank somewhereonlyweknoww for following my story! **

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Bilbo disappears and my eyes widen. So _that's _what the ring does. I look to Frodo who's frozen in his seat. "No…" he mutters.

I nudge him in the ribs with my elbows, "Come on, Frodo, let's go see if he goes back to the house." He doesn't move and I sigh, getting up, grabbing his hand, and yanking him off his chair. At this, he seems to perk up a bit.

"Yeah, yeah," he says, brushing himself off. "We have to get to the house." I roll my eyes, I'd just said that. He grabs my arm and pulls me up the path through the yard.

By the time we get up to the hobbit hole, it's about a half hour later. Panicked hobbits are very stubborn creatures. If they don't want to move from one spot because of the 'traumatic scene they just witnessed', they won't… Frodo flies to the door first and flings it open shouting, "Bilbo! Bilbo!" I see him bend down to pick up something. Bilbo's ring? What would he leave it on the floor for? Hmm, this is strange. There's the sound of someone muttering and I look over to the sitting room to see Gandalf of all people gazing into the fire and talking to himself. "He's gone, hasn't he?" Frodo asks quietly. Gandalf either doesn't hear him, or chooses to ignore him, because he keeps mumbling something about a 'precious' and 'riddles in the dark'.

"Gandalf?" I try to get his attention. His grey eyes snap up and completely graze over me, instead looking straight at the ring in Frodo's hand.

"Bilbo's ring…" he seems a little out of it still. Apparently, he gets yanked back into reality by something, because his eyes uncloud and he starts to frantically shuffle through Bilbo's papers on the coffee table. "He's gone to stay with the elves. He's left you Bag End along with the rest of his possessions." He holds out an envelope to Frodo, who drops the ring into it. The wizard takes some hot wax and Bilbo's stamp, sealing the ring inside. "Keep it somewhere safe and out of sight."

My friend looked up at the sorcerer, confusion written on his face. "Where are you going?" Gandalf the Grey mutters something about, "To answer questions that need answering," before rushing towards the door. Frodo is clearly bewildered, "But you only just arrived!"

He turns to him, opening the door, "Keep it secret, keep it safe." He hurries out the door, vanishing into the fog. I look to my best friend, perking a brow. He looks at me morosely, shaking his head. _What does all of this mean?_

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__**Please review! If you have any questions, feel free to PM me!  
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	4. Guess Who's Back

**Author's Note: Everytime I actually sat down at the computer ready to write, something or someone decided to interrupt. So here's the next chapter that I promised! I hope you enjoy despite the short length! **

**I would like to thank Supernaturalchick85 for favoriting this story and Being4TheBenefitOfMrKite for adding this to their story alerts!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Mr. Tolkien's creations. If I did I wouldn't be begging my parents for money everytime I want to go out!  
**

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Many years passed after Gandalf and Bilbo left the Shire, and Frodo wasn't the same since. The first year was the worst, I didn't see him at all for the first month, until I'd decided he'd had enough time to get over it and went over to find him in bed, looking ghostly pale and skinnier than I'd ever seen him.

After that I visited him every day for the next 2 months, making sure he was eating. Sam and I teamed up to force him out of the house one night with some success; he did manage to down a little ale and smile some. However, it was obvious he was still missing his uncle.

By the time 3 years had passed, he was nearly back to his normal, cheerful self. Each year on his birthday he celebrated Bilbo's as well, but he didn't seem nearly as lost and depressed. Sam and I would check in on him every other day, just to make sure he was fine. However, we didn't need to; he was perfectly okay.

Eventually, we got back to our usual routine of meeting in the orchard every day. One morning while we were there, about 16 ½ years after Bilbo's disappearance, we heard a strange whispering amongst the trees. I looked at Frodo, who concentrated enough to think he made out the word, "Grey". Cocking my head to the side, I asked, "Isn't Gandalf known as Gandalf the Grey?"

My friend nodded, frowning a little. "Yes, but again, I might have misheard them…" Then a squirrel scampered amongst the trees, ending the whispering and driving the thought of it from our minds.

I was at Frodo's that night, having some dessert by the fire as we chatted about dragons and treasure. Anyone listening in might have thought we were dwarves; we talked about the gold as passionately as any.

At about a quarter until 12, there was a loud banging on the front door. Frodo turned to me uncertainly and I said, "Go answer it!" he gave me a look that said, "Come with me, please," I rolled my eyes, but nodded, following him to the entryway. Before he even touched it, the door swung open and none other than Gandalf the Grey stormed in.

Not bothering with formalities, he cuts to the chase, "Is it hidden? Is it safe?" Frodo's eyes widen as he nods vigorously. "Take me to it."

The little hobbit rushes over to the back part of the house in the last bedroom off the underground hall. The wizard and I follow, watching as he opens a wooden trunk, extracting the envelope Gandalf had put the ring in many years ago, still sealed. So that's what this was all about… Our magical friend nods approvingly before taking it from Frodo. Without explanation, he runs to the living area and throws it in the fire. "What are you doing!?" Frodo shrieks, watching the envelope burn, sure the ring was melting in the heat.

"Oh calm down," Gandalf shushes him, withdrawing the very intact ring from the fire with a pair of tongs. "Take it, it's quite cool." My friend holds out his hand and as Gandalf drops it onto his outstretched palm, he reacts as if it was heavier than it should. I perk a brow at him, but he doesn't look up from the ring to notice. "Take a look at it, are there any unusual markings?"

Frodo examined it closely, furrowing his brow, "No… I'm not seeing anything… oh wait. Yes, there is something. It looks like some form of Elvish!" Gandalf spun around swiftly, bending down to observe the ring. "I can't read it…"

"There are very few who can," Gandalf says darkly. "It's the language of that of Mordor, which I will not utter here. In the common tongue it says,

**One Ring to rule them all,**

**One Ring to find them,**

**One Ring to bring them all,**

**And in the Darkness bind them"**

Frodo looks shocked. To break the tension, I suggest, "How about we discuss this over tea?"

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**As always, I hope you enjoyed and please review! They make my day!**


	5. Eavesdropping

**I know what you're thinking "It's about bloody time she updated", and I'm SO sorry! Have an internet apology cookie! I've just been super busy with getting ready for school and, once it started, balancing all of my honors and AP classes. However, on the bright side, this should be the last 'slow' chapter for quite some time! After this it's all action and epic battles! YAY!**

**In other news, thanks so much for all of the followings!  
**

**Disclaimer: Do I own any of this? HA, I WISH!**

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In the kitchen, they talk in hushed tones, trying to keep me from hearing. So naturally, I try my hardest to listen in. As Gandalf had put it earlier, "This involves only me and Frodo" Despite their efforts, however, I manage to catch snippets here and there or their conversation.

From what I can piece together, years ago, a bunch of powerful rings were forged (the number of rings was lost in the whistling of the kettle, which I quickly silenced). The Dark Lord Sauron forged a ring in secret, though. He made one Ring to rule them all, and through the rings, the peoples of Middle Earth. The people rebelled, and in one final battle, Sauron was defeated by Isildur, and his Ring of Power was taken to be destroyed from the fires of Mount Doom from which it came. However, Isildur was drawn to the power of the Ring and refused to cast it into the volcano, instead claiming it as his own. The Ring had other plans. While the man was riding, it slipped away and fell into a river, where it lay dormant for thousands of years. Over that time, the Ring faded from a reality to a legend, a legend to a myth, and things that ought not to be forgotten were lost.

The Ring eventually fell into the hands of Smeagol, a hobbit-like creature that obtained it by killing his friend so he could have the powerful jewelry to himself. He took the Ring into the caves of the goblins, where the Ring granted him unnaturally long life. Five hundred years passed before the Ring abandoned Smeagol, who at that point was known as Gollum because of the noises he made. Something happened then that the Ring had not expected. It was picked up by a hobbit called Bilbo Baggins.

Growing up, Bilbo had told us of his adventures, and Frodo, Sam, and I were the few who knew Bilbo even had the Ring in his possession. The old hobbit had never exactly told us how he'd obtained it, though. We always assumed that it was part of his share of Smaug's treasure. Frodo interrupts and says, "But how is he back? He was defeated!" At least he said it loudly… Gandalf shushed him and pointed at me to remind him that I was still present, to which my friend responded with, "Gandalf, you should know by now that Ella's very skilled at hearing things she shouldn't. I wouldn't be surprised if she heard practically everything you've told me." The old wizard raises a brow and I nod, smirking.

He sighs in defeat and replies, "The spirit of the Dark Lord lived on in the Ring and slowly he regained his power. I discovered that he was indeed the Necromancer all of those years ago…" Bilbo had told me all about the terrifying Necromancer, and none of the stories were very pretty. I let out a scared squeak before turning my attention back to Gandalf, who's gone over to the open window, staring intently at the bush. He strikes as quick as a snake, grabbing a figure that was previously hidden from view and pulling it inside. Gandalf frowns and asks a shaking, scared-stiff Samwise Gamgee, "Confound it all! Samwise Gamgee have you been eavesdropping!?"

"I wasn't dropping no eaves, sir! Honest! I was just cutting the grass under the window, if you follow me…" he said quickly.

"It's a little late to be trimming the hedges, don't you think?" I ask, stifling a laugh.

Sam gives me a dirty look before muttering, "I heard raised voices."

"What did you hear?" Gandalf demands, "Speak!"

Panicking, Sam responds, "Nothing important… that is, I heard a good deal about a ring... and a Dark Lord, and something about the end of the world. But please, Mr. Gandalf, sir! Please don't hurt me or turn me into something... unnatural." He quaked in his boots.

"No? Perhaps not… I've thought a better use for you." He then turns to me, "And you as well, as I have a feeling you'll go along no matter what I say. You two are to accompany Frodo to Rivendell." I beam excitedly. We'll get to see the elves!

An hour later, the sun begins to rise and we're all packed for our journey. Gandalf says his good-byes to us and pulls Frodo aside to warn him about the dangers ahead. Once he rejoins us, it's all a blur. We say good-bye to the Shire and head out into the World.

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**Please review! Reviews are a private Kooks concert! (If you've never heard of them, look them up. They're this British band that I've been obsessed with)**


	6. On the Road

**It's been so long since I've updated, I know! But I have an excuse that can be summarized into two words: Human Geography. This is my first AP class ever and Merlin's beard, it's hard!(Yes, that was a Harry Potter reference on a LOTR fanfic. Now you've seen it all :) ) Anyway, unfortunately, I actually have to study for this class now because it's proven to be quite difficult... So more studying= less time to write and update. However, hopefully this chapter will make it better!**

**Also: Thank you so much for all of the follows! I love you all! Have some lembas bread!  
**

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A few hours of nonstop walking march by and we finally get to the outermost reaches of the Shire: Farmer Maggot's farm. Frodo and I walk ahead and don't even notice Sam has stopped until we're a good ten paces ahead of him. Frodo notices first and starts to walk back to him. "What's wrong, Sam?"

"Nothing, Master Frodo, sir." He frowns, "Just… if I take one more step, this'll be the farthest away from home I've ever been."

Frodo gives him a small encouraging smile as he holds out his hand, "Come on, Sam" The red-headed hobbit takes it and continues to walk on.

We're in the corn field when we hear a rustling around us. Frodo stiffens and grabs each of our hands. "Did you hear that?" He asks nervously.

"Err, yeah, why?" I question, raising an eyebrow. Giving his hand a small squeeze, I contine walking, leading us through the tall crops. The rustling gets closer and I can sense Frodo's freaking out behind me.

"I'll tell you later…" he whispers before turning to the noises. "Who's there?" he demands.

Moments later, Merry and Pippin tumble out of the cover of the stalks of corn, each loaded down with carrots, radishes, and other vegetables. Sam's eyes widen, "What are you doing here? You stole from Farmer Maggot's crop, didn't you?!"

The two troublesome hobbits shrug. Merry looks at us and says, "What? We were hungry!"

"And besides, we didn't take any of his mushrooms," Pippin defended, "He actually cares about those."

I roll my eyes at my two friends when we hear the sound of dogs barking and an angry Farmer Maggot. "Run!" I shout, bolting through the maze of corn. Weaving my way through the corn rows after Frodo and Sam, we all end up rolling down a hill onto the open road.

I land on Merry, who's on top of Sam. Frodo was lucky and didn't get squashed, but the luckiest of all is probably Pippin, who landed only centimeters away from a pile of manure. "Well that was close" he says, relieved. His attention quickly turns away from the crap and focuses on, "Mushrooms!" We all rush over to the fungi and begin to collect it. Frodo's off in his own little world, looking down the road, and starts to murmur something that I can't hear.

"Get off the road!" he shouts suddenly, grabbing me by my travelling cloak and pulling me away from the other hobbits, who quickly follow. We all hide beneath the roots of an old, massive tree. A few minutes pass uneventfully and I'm beginning to doubt my friend's judgment, but stiffen as the sound of horse hooves reach our ears.

The horse stops right above us on the road, and there's the muffled thump of the rider dismounting. I close my eyes and bury my face in Sam's shoulder. Heavy footsteps can be heard striding towards the side of the road, and the person only has to bend over and look under the tree roots to discover us. I feel Sam's arm move and what happens next, I don't know. By the sounds of it, someone threw something and the mysterious figure ran towards it, leaving us be.

I open my eyes, still shaking a little. When the thing, for there was no way that thing was human, was near, my heart filled with absolute terror. I felt as if my heart was going to pound out of my chest, and I hadn't even got a glimpse of the thing! "What," Pippin asks, sounding as terrified as I am, "on Middle-Earth was that!?" We all climb out from under the roots and begin to walk through the woods.

Frodo glances around, saying, "No time to explain… Sam, Ella, and I have to get to Bree, and fast!"

"Get down!" Sam whispers urgently, looking at the top of the sloped forest area as he flops to the ground. We all follow suite and I get my first look at the mysterious thing. My heart stops for a moment from fear as I take in the black-robed creature. It's atop a jet-black horse with eyes that seem to be on fire and lets out an unearthly wail. However (thank goodness) it doesn't appear to have noticed us and gallops off.

Merry's eyes widen and he says, determinedly, "Buckleberry Ferry. That'll get us to Bree swiftly… Follow me!" We run after the quick hobbit when suddenly, another Black Rider appears and begins to pursue us! "Another one!? Frodo, this way!" Sam, Pippin, and I are already ahead of the other two and after about ten minutes, we reach the ferry and are untying a lone raft from the dock. Merry is close behind, followed by Frodo, who's a good five feet back. The raft starts to float away from the dock. "RUN, FRODO!" Merry yells urgently as he jumps onto the floating object.

Frodo reaches the end of the dock, the raft now maybe 3 feet away from it, and leaps towards us just as the Black Rider reaches the end. The horse backs away from the water as Sam and I help Frodo find his balance after landing. I take one last look at the Black Rider, who is joined by 2 of his friends before galloping off into the night. "How much father until we reach Bree?" I ask quietly as we sit, breaking the silence.

"About another half hour to go, Ella…" Pippin sighs. "So what were those things, Frodo?!"

My friend sighs and puts his head in his hands, "They're the servants of Sauron… He's sent them to retrieve something for him. Something he lost a long time ago. Something I have." I raise an eyebrow. The Ring…

Sam mutters, "Does this have anything to do with.. you know?" Frodo nods. The other hobbits look as if they're about to bother him with questions, but I shoot them a look to shut them up.

Thirty minutes later, we arrive at Bree and are approaching the gate. Knocking on the door, the watchman opens the peephole but doesn't see us. I clear my throat and say, "We're down here, sir…" He looks down and nods.

"What do you lot need?" he inquires.

"We're wishing to stay at an inn," Frodo replies, craning his neck to look up at the tall man. He nods and opens the door for us, allowing us to walk into town. "Thank you."

Walking into the Prancing Pony, the local pub with lodging above, we look around, taking in the giant people. "Remember," Frodo whispers, "We're still going to have to be cautious… So I'll be known as Mr. Underhill, understood?" We nod. Merry and Pippin drag me over to the bar to get a drink while Frodo and Sam talk. Once Pippin and I get our hobbit-sized ales, Merry comes over with a large tankard.

"What's that?!" Pippin asks excitedly.

"This, my dear Took, is a pint!" Merry says happily, licking his lips.

"They come in pints!? I'm getting one!" Oh no… A drunk Pippin is never a good thing…

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**Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed! Please review or follow! Reviews and follows make my day!**

**PS: You lot have a drunken Pippin to look forward to in the next chapter... ;)  
**

**DFTBA!  
**


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